The first thing we did after deciding to go with Literacy Tree's approach was to purchase one copy of every text in the scheme. After laying them all out in the hall, in the order they would be taught, we immediately knew that we had made a great decision. Each book is amazing in its own way and both children and staff have loved exploring them together. When paired with our own bespoke reading resources, we are now confident that our pupils are getting a rich and varied diet of high-quality literature.
We have been so impressed with the service we have received from Anthony and the team. Our school is situated down in West Cornwall, and it would have been expensive and time consuming for us to attend training events. We need not have worried as Donny was on hand with a brilliantly presented Zoom session (a novelty at the time). All staff thoroughly enjoyed the training, which we have expanded upon recently, and classroom practice has certainly improved as a result.
One unexpected benefit of using Literacy Tree was the addition of Learning Logs to the bank of resources that are available to members. Sharing their wonderful, expert led, videos with children during lockdown meant that our home learning provision seamlessly matched with learning in the classroom. Children knew the language of learning and it was invaluable and unexpected CPD for staff members. The resources on Literacy Tree are not stagnant – there is always something new and interesting just around the corner. We look forward to finding out what new units are soon to be released. We also secretly believe that ‘The Mermaid of Zennor’ unit in Year 4 might have been made just for the new Cornish clientele.
After recent book looks and discussions with staff members and children we are confident that we have made a great choice to take writing in this direction. We are seeing greater engagement in lessons, improved retention of key-learning objectives and can be certain that key concepts are being taught. The biggest compliment I can pay Literacy Tree is that it has given writing at our school a huge boost – writing has come alive.
